I CAN almost hear my old Lancashire grandad saying it now: "What the Hanover are you playing at?" In fact, Hanover was a word liberally sprinkled into his vocabulary whenever frustrated or perplexed.

But until now, I never knew how this strange expression came about.

I'm indebted to Owen Taylor of Barrow Nook Lane, Bickerstaffe, for inadvertently clearing up the puzzle in response to a mystery coin yedscratter (this page, June 1). It appears that the term sprang from replica brass guineas, bearing the head of an Hanoverian monarch, produced around the late 1800s.

Stan Bates of Clock Face had set the ball rolling by unearthing one of these false coins at Sutton Leach while combing open land -- known as The Strappers -- with his metal detector. On one side was the profile of what looked like King George II (reign 1727-60) with, on the other, a Royal shield and partly worn-away legend. This reads 'Tell all your Friends that J. Green's ...? ...is the Best in St Helens.'

Stan hadn't a clue what all this was about and wondered over its value. Now, Owen Taylor comes up with the goods. "These replica guineas," he says, "were often given to customers, along with various trade items, mostly tea."

Although dated in the reigns of George II and III, they were produced from the 1870s onward and made to look slightly worn, to appear more authentic.

Owen adds: "People used to try to pass them as legal tender, usually as a joke, and were often rebuked with, 'You can keep your Hanover', referring to the Royal House."

Later the phrase passed into Lancashire dialect and Owen points out that terms such as "What the Hanover are you playing at?" can still be heard in some of the more remote villages in the county.

As for valuation, Owen tells us that these coin-like tokens can sometimes be purchased at coin fairs for a couple of quid apiece.

MANY thanks for clearing up that mystery, Owen.